Four Newport fires lead to criminal probe

NEWPORT - State, county and local authorities have opened a criminal investigation after firefighters from six communities responded to four suspicious fires early Saturday morning.

All four fires were less than a mile from each other and started over a three-hour time span.

The first was a trash container fire at 6 Laurel St., reported at 1:20 a.m.

Fifteen minutes later, a structure fire was reported at 82 Maple St.

At 2:27 a.m., firefighters responded to another structure fire at 11 Central St., and at 4:30 a.m., firefighters were called to a structure fire at 24 Sullivan St.Newport police, fire and EMS departments responded to all four fires, with mutual aid from Croydon, Claremont, Goshen, Sunapee and New London fire departments.

The state Fire Marshal's Office and Sullivan County Attorney's Office are assisting Newport police in the criminal investigation, officials said.

"All fire scenes remain under investigation at this time," Newport Police Chief Jim Burroughs said in a news release. "At this time there is no further information available."

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